


A Fire Hydrant of Energy

by fangirl_squee



Category: Friends at the Table (Podcast)
Genre: (sort of), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 06:52:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10565928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl_squee/pseuds/fangirl_squee
Summary: Fero helps his good friend Throndir with a problem he's having.(Slight spoilers for Winter in Hieron episode 18: Try to Live Normally)





	

**Author's Note:**

> Based on my entire twitter feed, that, as soon as we got to the 'Throndir absorbs the life force/energy/etc from people around him' part of the ep were like "too bad Fero wasn't there to help" (which: yeah).
> 
> Unbeta'd, but thanks to Maddie for looking it over and helping with the title.

Fero was deeply regretting going back to say goodbye to his family before he left. Sure, it was supposedly the “right” thing to do, but being stuck at the longest family lunch ever and then dragged to the opera was, in Fero’s opinion, just not worth it. Having to sit still in a dark room for hours wasn’t exactly how he wanted to spend his last night in town.

 

He trailed behind his family as they entered, a large banner over the doorway to the theatre with the words  _ FINAL PERFORMANCE!! CLOSING TONIGHT!!  _ in garish, curled writing. The theatre lobby was crowded, buzzing with excited voices. Fero couldn’t really bring himself to match the feeling.

 

He dragged his feet along the plush carpet as he walked, his gaze down at his feet, hoping to slow his pace enough that the seats near his family’s section would be taken before he got there. If he could get a seat near the back instead there was a chance he could sneak out during the show. 

 

He bumped into someone in the crowd, looking up quickly to see a familiar and much more welcome face.

 

“Throndir!” said Fero brightly, “What are you doing here buddy? Getting in some Rosemerrow culture before you hit the road?”

 

Throndir put a hand on Kodiak’s head, smiling down at Fero. “Something like that. I just needed to… get out of the house, you know?”

 

Fero nodded. “Yeah, I get that.”

 

A bell chimed and people began to brush past them on the way to take their seats, and Kodiak headbutted Throndir’s hand. 

 

“I guess we should go in,” said Fero.

 

Throndir’s smile looked a little strained around the edges. “Yeah, don’t want to miss the show.”

 

Fero snorted.

 

By the time they made their way into the theatre there weren’t many seats left. Fero’s mother, standing up towards the front, gave him a stern look. There were no seats left around his family’s section. Fero gave an exaggerated shrug, trying not to grin.

 

Throndir carefully lowered himself into a seat, wincing as someone pushed past him.

 

“You okay buddy?” said Fero, hopping up next to him.

 

“I’m… fine,” said Throndir, “I’ll be fine.”

 

The lights of the theatre began to dim, a hush falling over the crowd.

 

“Do you think it’s related to…” Fero lowered his voice, leaning in, “ _ you know _ . What happened.”

 

“Yeah, but it’s… I’m managing it,” said Throndir, “I’ll be  _ fine _ , let’s just watch the show.”

 

The show was pretty much what Fero expected, and he was very glad not to be seated next to his family as he squirmed in his seat, itching for intermission. As an actor began another long soliloquy about the Good Ol’ Days Of Rosemerrow, Fero leaned over to Throndir, unable to keep his comments to himself any further.

 

Throndir was shaking in his seat. It might have just been the dim lighting, but Fero thought he looked even paler than before. He was sweating now, his breaths coming in sharp, quick gasps.

 

Fero put his hands gently over Throndir’s, where Throndir was gripping the armrest. “Hey, buddy, you okay? Do you need to get out of here?”

 

“I’m, I-” managed Throndir.

 

Kodiak barked softly, looking from Throndir, to Fero, and then towards the exit, then back to Fero again.

 

“Good idea,” said Fero. He tugged at Throndir’s sleeve. “Come on buddy, let’s just go out to the lobby for a sec.”

 

Together, Fero and Kodiak managed to get Throndir out of his seat and into the thankfully-empty lobby. Fero pushed them towards a small side room that turned out to be the cloakroom, nudging it open with his foot and shutting it behind them.

 

Under better lighting, Throndir looked even worse, his eyes staring off into the middle distance, not even looking down as Kodiak bumped his leg. Fero looked around, spotting a stool and quickly dragging it over to stand on, so that - even if he was chest-level instead of eye-level - they were a bit more evenly matched.

 

Fero reached up and put his hand on Throndir’s shoulders. “Hey. Throndir. Look at me, tell me what’s going on.”

 

Throndir, with what looked like great effort, made eye contact with Fero. He was panting now, and Fero could feel Throndir trembling under his hands.

 

“I don’t- I need… When Victoria… when she saved me, it did something, and I thought it would be fine, I thought I could just do this, and be here with people and that would be enough, but I can’t… I don’t...”

 

“What do you need?” said Fero. He tried to use the same kind of tone he would have used for a bucking horse or a prowling wolf, keeping his voice soft. “Whatever it is, I can help. Or I can  _ try _ to help,” he added ruefully, “I don’t have the best track record lately.”

 

Throndir gripped Fero’s arm tightly. “I don’t know, I don’t- I just-”

 

“Hey, hey, Throndir, look at me,” said Fero, tugging on Throndir’s shirt, trying to get Throndir’s eyes to focus on him, “Whatever you need, we’ll work it out, okay?”

 

“I’m- I need-”

 

Throndir hauled Fero up by his shirtfront, bringing their lips together into a hard, deep kiss. Fero, reacting mostly on instinct, wrapped his legs around Throndir to take the pressure off his shirt, his hands gripping the front of Throndir’s coat.

 

It hurt, a deep ache like a pulled muscle, all through Fero’s body. Throndir made a high, desperate sound, his grip moving to Fero’s sides, fingers digging in. His hands, where they touched Fero, felt unnaturally hot, like someone was holding an open flame to Fero’s skin. Fero wriggled, feeling like the embers of a fire were prickling him on the sides.

 

Throndir’s shaking began to lessen, and his grip on Fero loosened a little. Fero pushed at Throndir’s chest, needing air. Throndir relented, kissing instead down the side of Fero’s neck, teeth nipping at the skin. Fero gasped, his hands going to Throndir’s hair. He tugged, just a little, enough to get Throndir’s attention back to his lips. Air could wait.

 

This kiss was a gentler, but not by much, Throndir’s nails scraping Fero’s scalp as he cradled the back of Fero’s head, keeping him in place. This time it was Fero who whined. The sound seem to jolt Throndir out of whatever trance he’d been in. He broke away from Fero, breathing heavily.

 

“I-I’m sorry,” said Throndir, “that was-”

 

“Not bad for a first kiss,” said Fero, cutting him off.

 

Fero felt a little dazed. He still had the sore-muscle feeling through his body, a little less now that Throndir wasn’t holding him so tight. His lips tingled, not sore exactly, more like he’d rubbed chilli on them. Fero sucked his bottom lip in, running his tongue along it experimentally. His tongue had the same feeling, a buzzing, almost tickling sensation.

 

Throndir shifted his grip on Fero, setting him back down on the stool, rubbing the back of his neck. His cheeks were tinged a faint pink - actually, Fero thought he looked more flushed generally, less like someone in the middle of a long illness and more like his old self, if a little sheepish.

 

Fero patted a hand on Throndir’s chest. “Hey, don’t worry about it. Always happy to help out a friend.”

 

Throndir smiled. “I still should have given you some warning.”

 

Fero shrugged. “So you know to do that for next time.”

 

“Next time?” said Throndir.

 

“Yeah,” said Fero, “I mean, we’re headed in different directions, but the next time we’re in the same town, if you think you need, you know. Whatever this is.”

 

Throndir looked down at him, swallowing hard. “I...I think I need to be around people, around the energy of people, but I don’t- that many people is too much, I think, at least at the moment.”

 

“Well, what about one person?” said Fero, “what about just me? And Kodiak.”

 

Kodiak woofed, and headbutted Throndir’s hand.

 

Throndir let out a shaky breath. “Yeah. Yeah I think that would work.”

 

“So,” said Fero after a moment, “Do you need any more before you go? As like, supplies?”

 

Throndir huffed a laugh. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”

 

Fero fiddled with the edges of Throndir’s coat. “Okay.”

 

“I don’t think so, anyway,” said Throndir quickly, “I don’t… I mean, I’m still working it out, but I think if I get too much from just one person it could… hurt them.”

 

“I’m pretty resilient,” said Fero, “I can take it.”

 

Fero put his hands against Throndir’s stomach, running them up his chest.

 

Throndir’s cheeks flushed a deeper pink. “I mean, I think you, uh, sated it. But I guess…”

 

“You guess…?” prompted Fero, sliding his hands a little further up.

 

“I guess maybe I could use a little more,” said Throndir, leaning down towards Fero.

 

Fero did not see the rest of the show. He absolutely did  _ not _ regret it.

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi on twitter/tumblr: mariusperkins


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